First installment of History and Theory of Design II, we are starting again from the beginning architects of ancient Egypt and Minoan Greece. Beginning with the Egyptians we talked about the interiors of their temples and how light played a part in the interior space. The first example used being the Hypostyle Hall: Temple of Amon in Karnak, Egypt 13000 B.C. This hall was open aired, the interior was lined and decorated with columns and carvings, and the light was filtered into the interior through various hierarchy of columns that made rows and rows within the temple.
One of the major things that intrigued me about the structure was how similar the light was filtered in from the top clerestory to that of the Gothic cathedrals. This shows me how my favorite style period was influenced by the ancient Egyptians with their stone grates that filtered light in from high places in the temple.
Carvings within the temple were symbolistic to the gods the Egyptian culture worshiped and were responsible for telling stories about the ancient days and about the Pharaoh who may have commissioned the structure.
Basically the elements of the Egyptian temple we observed were the monumental scale from people to structure, axial progression of the interior space, carvings (narratives) into the story of the culture, & timeless materials in that the stones are still standing even today in all the glory that was Egypt in 13000 B.C.
The second culture used in class Thursday was the Minoans in Greece. We went from one climate of deserts to a climate on an island in the Mediterranean sea. The Minoans were a peaceful culture and this air of peace translated into their architecture as well as their interiors since they were pretty much open to the world. The Knossos Palace is an example of this peaceful idea in that it is not a guarded palace because the people did not fear attack in such a peaceful time. This type was multi functional in that it was a palace, a storehouse, a public space, and a private space all in one. Columns where used throughout the structure and interiors and were decorated with reds and blacks rather than just carved into lotuses at the capitals like the Egyptians.
Light was far more of an important factor and there was much more of it demonstrated in Minoan design with opened roof areas and window forms. Hierarchy is not very prominent in this design either, rather the frescoes become more elaborate. Frescoes tell a story of the culture and the myths that accompanied it, such as that of the Minotaur.
So in comparison between the two cultures:
[Picture here]
